Injunction may stall Sarasota's caseworker plan

A work group convened to address the city's homeless population should have notified the public before meetings, Citizens for Sunshine says.

By JESSIE VAN BERKEL

The city manager's plan to hire caseworkers to help the homeless might stall after Citizens for Sunshine, a nonprofit known for bringing open meetings and records lawsuits against local government, filed a temporary injunction against Sarasota.

The nonprofit claims the work group City Manager Tom Barwin convened to come up with a plan to quickly address issues with the city's homeless population should have notified the public before meetings.

Judge Lee Haworth granted the injunction Wednesday, preventing the group from meeting again without informing the public, and stopping the city from implementing or spending any public funds on the group's recommendations.

Barwin has been trying to garner city and county funding to match a private donation offered to help cover the caseworkers' salaries and equipment, which he estimated would cost $150,000.

Citizens for Sunshine's attorney, Andrea Mogensen, called the work group and its efforts a “positive step” for the city, which has made homelessness a top priority.

She said the nonprofit does not want to prevent efforts to help homeless people but wants to require the group to hold discussions again in open meetings before adopting any recommendations.

“Since the community is so clearly interested there's a particular circumstance where the Sunshine Law should have been complied with,” Mogensen said.

The homeless work group cancelled a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, according to an email posted in City Hall.

The work group, made up of city and county government officials, members of law enforcement and homeless service providers, had met several times in the past few months but did not provide notice of its meetings to the public or take minutes.

Barwin previously said he did not think the meetings needed to be announced because he was just gathering information. He was traveling Wednesday and could not be reached for comment.

City Attorney Bob Fournier, who did not know about the meetings until recently, has said the group should err on the side of compliance with the state's Government-in-the-Sunshine Law, and should inform the public of future meetings.

In the complaint, Citizens for Sunshine asked the city to cover their attorney fees and costs.

The city did not object when Mogensen filed the injunction, which she said is likely a sign there will not be protracted and costly litigation.